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Privileged EXECDomain 1.0
copy running-config startup-config
Saves the active configuration currently sitting in volatile RAM to the device's permanent NVRAM. If you reboot a Cisco device without executing this command, all changes made since the last save will be instantly wiped out.
Quick Reference
Execution Mode
Router#Source DestinationRAM → NVRAM
Common Abbreviation
copy run startLegacy Alias Command
write memory or wrCLI Deployment Scenarios
Scenario 1: Standard Config Save
After finishing your configuration tasks, you commit the memory to survive a power outage.
Router# copy running-config startup-config
Destination filename [startup-config]? // Press Enter
Building configuration...
[OK]
CCNA Exam Gotchas
[!]
The "Reload" Trap
If the exam asks you the safest way to undo a massive, broken configuration mistake you just typed in Global Config mode, the answer is often to type reload without saving the configuration. Because the bad changes only exist in RAM, rebooting the router dumps the RAM and pulls the last known good configuration back up from NVRAM.